Andrew Cuomo breaks the bank on book deal despite allegations of ethics violations
Albany, New York – Despite being the subject of numerous lawsuits and scandals, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will receive over $5 million from a book deal, his office announced on Monday.
The New York Democrat received $3.12 million in 2020 and is set to receive another $2 million over the next two years. By contrast, the governor's salary is $225,000 per year.
According to the New York Times, the sum Cuomo is getting from the deal is much higher than many other authors of a similar profile receive.
But the book, titled American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic, apparently did not live up to the publisher's expectations, selling only a few thousand print copies since its October release.
The governor's earnings were made public as Cuomo faces allegations of using state resources, including staff time, to draft the book. He has denied any wrongdoing, saying that staffers volunteered to work on the project on their own time.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched an investigation to determine whether he violated the terms of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics by having aides help him write and promote the memoir.
Cuomo's leadership memoir jars with recent accusations against him
The subject of the book has also stirred controversy.
A man credibly accused of severely underreporting Covid-19 death tolls for nursing home residents writing a memoir on his "leadership lessons" during the pandemic sounds nothing short of ridiculous.
It's almost as bad as Cuomo actually receiving an Emmy Award for his coronavirus updates!
Since the Covid-19 death toll scandal came to light, the print and promotion of a paperback version of Cuomo's book have been canceled.
The governor is also under investigation for numerous accusations of sexual harassment.
Despite all odds, it appears Cuomo is the big winner in this scenario, raking in millions in profits despite potentially violating ethics codes and covering up compromising data.
Only time will tell if his luck is enough to get him through the multiple lawsuits and investigations against him.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo